Western Kansas world., 1887-11-05
The STRAIGHT OF II.
Joseph Escher's Part in Hunting
for Stolen Property i4 Colo
RADIO in Last June.
No Man Could Have been Straight
er or More Vigilant.

In an interview on Thursday with A.
Cressler, deputy sheriff of Sheridan coun-
ty, the following facts were brought out.
MIR. Cressler was out there with Mr.. Esch.
er, and knows precisely whereof he speaks.
Mr.. Cressler, by the way, is an old soldier,
a man of frank countenance and positive
speech, and leaves no doubt in our mind
as to the correctness of his statements:
Rep0rfer.-Mr. Cressler, will you state,
in the fewest possible words, the nature
OF the relations between yourself and Mr..
Escher in hunting horse thieves in Col
orado in June last?
Mr.. Cressler.-Mr. Escher came to me
in answer to communication, directed to
A. G. Frick, of Wa Keeney, in regard to
the horses and buggy which he had lost.
We started out to follow Henry Stephens,
the brother of the man who had stolen
Frick's horses. Henry Stephens being
acquainted with me, it became the duty of
Mr.. Escher to do the shadowing, which
he did in very efficient manner. Fischer
got in car at Grainfeld, and Swallowed
Henry to Denver; then to Henry's hotel,
and from there to the Leadville train.
Escher reported TO me every little while
as to progress, getting points in the mat
ter, which he did not understand. Esch-
er telegraphed from Denver to the chief
of police at Leadville to shadow Stepens,
as indicated by the conductor, and that
he would come on the next train. Escher
paid five dollars for this shadowing
Escher and I followed to Leadville by
tue night train. Escher found Stephens,
and found that he had bought ticket for
San Francisco. We then concluded that
it was best to arrest him, and see if We
coald get clue to A. F. Stephen. the
man who stole Frick's horses. We had
him arrested by the depot police at Pueb-
10, and placed in Jail, Escher going to
Denver to await my arrival on the next
train with Stephens. In his possession
we found a slip of paper, which I now
have, giving the whereabouts of A. F.
Stephens at that time. On arriving at
Denver with the prisoner, Escher and I
telegraphed to the chief OF police at San
Francisco, Cal, which, the strip indicated,
was his address, offering a reward OF
twenty-five dollars for the arrest Of A. L.
Stephens. We then took the prisoner to
Golden, COL, and had him bound over to
ap pear at the fall term of court, and then
came home.
R.-Mr. Frick's buggy and harness
were found, we're they not?
Mr.. C.-Yes, sir; got them. They
were in the possession of the sheriff of
Jefferson county when Mr.. Frick came
after them.
R.-Why were Mr.. Frick's horses not
found?
Mr.. CT left the trail of them to at
tend the preliminary examination of the
prisoner had; and took up the trail of
the man who had stolen Frick's horses
and my span OF fve-hundred dollar mules.
While I was on the trail, Escher came to
me, and accompanied me. Mr. Frick was
asked by the sheriff of jefferson county to
print some cards and circulars, in which
event he (the sheriff. would hunt for the
horses. Mr.. Frick refused. The sheriff
then refused to do any hunting, maxim g
the statement rather too Emphatic to ap
pear in print. Escher and did not perse-
we're in the hunt, because Colorado was
out of our jurisdiction. We confined our
search to the horse thief.
R.-Mr. Cressler, did you, in advertis-
ing for your mules, include Mr.. Frick's
stolen property?
Mr.. CT did, describing them very
INFINITELY. I had thousand cards print
ed and distributed them all over Colorado
and Kansas. | also included mention of
his property in all my kilograms. Ste
phens stole Frick's horses first, and my
mules that night. I had description OF
the place where the thief stopped the next
night, with man named Steele, eight
miles northwest of Atwood, Rawlins
county. Kansas.
R.-Did you receive from Mr.. Frick
auy CQLUpSuSdtlCu lux LIS prop.
erty?
Mr.. CT did not, for either hunting
or advertising.
R.-Was Mr. Escher uniformly vigilant
in the discharge of his duty on that trip
to Colorado?
Mr.. Gle was. He was unusually
energetic. @,se
R.-Was Mr.. Escher under the influence
of liquor at any time on that trip?
Mr.. Gle was not.
R.-With your knowledge of Mr.. Esch-
or as worker after evil doors, what do
you think of the advisabiity of making a
sheriff of him this fall?
Mr. CT think you couldn't do any
better.
H. II. Eaton, of Grinnell, stopped at
the Central Hotel, in this city, Thursday
night. The door to the room which he
occupied was locked upon his retiring.
Tn the mOrninp the door was Dartly ODen